Fostering Dogs: The Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love

It takes a special kind of person to allow themselves to love something deeply while knowing that they will have to let it go. That’s exactly what a dog foster parent does each time they release one of their foster dogs to its new forever home. Their sadness, however, is tempered by the knowledge that the dog has a wonderful life ahead of it, with all the joys and treats and affection a dog should have, and the knowledge that without them, it wouldn’t be possible.
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Staff Sgt. Anthony Houston, of Detroit, and Staff Sgt. Travis Gilbert, of Rockford, Mich., both from the Michigan Army National Guard’s 1225th Corps Support Battalion, which recently returned from Kandahar, Afghanistan, watch 3-year-old therapy dog, Lugnut, do a trick Aug. 4. Welcome Home Dogs, a volunteer organization of handlers and dogs, recently started visiting Camp Atterbury soldiers as they work through the mobilization and demobilization process. Photo by Jill Swank

Paging Doctor Fido! The Healing Power of Therapy Dogs

Curling up with a canine companion is definitely one of life’s purest and most simple pleasures. How many times have you wished you could bottle that wonderful feeling of comfort and peace that comes from petting a dog so you could open it up and have that feeling again when things get rough? That’s the basic premise behind therapy dogs: dogs that are trained to be well-behaved and provide comfort and affection to those in need of it.
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Poodle assisting her human near Pike Place Market, Seattle. By Lisa Norwood.

Service Dogs: Making a Daily Difference

We all know that dogs are capable of learning and performing some pretty amazing and impressive tricks. What some people aren’t as familiar with are the services dogs are capable of learning and executing and the lives they save and enrich in doing so. Service dogs make a daily difference for those living with physical, neurological, and psychological disabilities. They allow people to live as normal a life as possible, and to do many of the things that their disabilities might prohibit them from doing without assistance. They work tirelessly, devotedly, lovingly, and all they ask in return is affection. They are canine heroes, and we are excited to highlight them in this week’s Dog Tails post.
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Shepherd in agility tunnel obstacle

All About Agility

Last week we gave you some suggestions to help your dog further his intellectual pursuits. But like many people, some dogs are scholars AND athletes. If this sounds like your pup, we’ve got just the thing for you. It’s called Agility, and it’s sweeping the nation. In fact, you may have even seen some agility trials on TV! Combining solid training, discipline, and athleticism, agility training helps a dog develop and maintain his fitness, versatility, and attention and obedience to his owner/handler. It also provides him with an outlet for his extra energy, and is a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your dog.
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